The present invention is in the field of multimedia communications including conventional telephony and Data Network Telephony (DNT), and pertains more particularly to methods and apparatus for tracking order of communications related to specific issues, including commitments made and fulfillment of the commitments.
Large organizations increasingly rely on communication centers known as call centers for dealing with clients and customers. Such call centers handle and distribute conventional telephone calls to agents according to various business plans, in many instances are adapted as multimedia centers to handle communication of many sorts, such as e-mail, voice mail, data network telephony (DNT) such as Internet phone calls, conventional phone calls, and the like. The same organizations increasingly rely on digital-network communication technologies to enhance and expedite communication both internally and externally. More and more companies are linking to digital communication networks because such networks enhance an organization""s ability to operate more quickly and efficiently. Such networks, weather local area networks (LAN) or wide area networks (WAN), or both, link company executives, agents, service representatives, and the like to each other and to the outside world through their computerized workstations. Such individuals that are linked via digital network may practice many different forms of communication over the networks. E-mail, fax, video phone, data phone, video mail, and other forms of digital communication are possible.
Of particular interest for the purpose of the present patent application is communication between large organizations and clients of those organizations, for example companies selling technically sophisticated products, and customers of such companies.
Successful communication between clients or customers and corporate representatives (agents) of a large organization is paramount to the well being of such an organization. For example, business contact information must be recorded and made accessible to agents. Customer information must be continually updated and stored for further reference. In a large organization it is often critical that all important communication events be made of record so that important information is not lost, and records of communication can be retrieved for many purposes. It is well understood that improved communication capabilities enhance a company""s efficiency and profitability.
Due to large volume of communication events typically experienced by individuals who are selling to or servicing customers or clients of a large company, and the need to make record of such communication events, many companies have implemented what is known as contact management software. Contact management software allows sales/service agents and the like to efficiently store important information regarding contacts in a database for later review. Pertinent information may be entered into a contract management system and may be retrieved later at computer speeds thereby enabling an agent to increase efficiency related to his assigned tasks.
Contact management software typically combines functions from a word processor, a communications package, a calendar/scheduling program, and a database manager to manage information associated with day to day business. This functionality provides such capabilities as retrieving a day""s or week""s appointments, retrieving a client call-back list, updated reports on client activity, reminders concerning pending tasks, and so on. Customized versions of standard business letters may be generated for new clients, as well as a host of other types of tasks wherein merging and linking of different information is required.
There are several different versions of contact management software commercially available today that are tailored to different needs. Generally speaking, much training is required in the use of computer commands, input parameters and the like before an agent becomes proficient with such an application.
A neglected need in contact management has to do with commitments and fulfillment of commitments. Often, an agent or service representative makes a verbal or written commitment to a customer, client, or associate on behalf of himself or on behalf of another agent or service employee. In some large companies, this may be routine with numerous commitments made each day by numerous agents. It is, of course, desirable that the agent that made such commitments be able to fulfill them in a timely fashion. Failure to do so can erode a company""s reputation. In a case wherein an agent makes a verbal commitment on behalf of another agent, then it is important that the fulfilling agent be notified in a timely manner. In a very fast-paced environment, it is extremely difficult to insure that verbal commitments to clients and the like are kept, or to track such commitments and ensure that appropriate action is taken. Often the agent who makes a commitment forgets the details of the commitment, or forgets to notify the appropriate agent on who""s behalf the commitment was made.
A problem with conventional contact management software is that it does not appropriately address the issue of tracking client-specific and issue specific commitments and assigning them to appropriate agents with suitable notification and tracking. Notification events are typically limited to scheduled meetings, appointments, important time-sensitive tasks, and so on. Furthermore, present-art contact management applications do not have the capability of notifying agents over multiple media types such as E-mail, Voice mail and the like. Generally, the agent must access the contact management system to retrieve any information and generally, the accessed information is only accurate to the extent of the agent""s original entry.
What is clearly needed is a method and apparatus for tracking contacts in an issue-specific manner, with facility for recording and storing commitments made by agents to clients, business contacts, or associates on their own behalf or on behalf of other agents, and then notifying all agents concerned before such time the commitment is to be fulfilled. Such a method and apparatus would significantly improve company communication both internally and externally thereby increasing efficiency and credibility.
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, in a networked communication system, a method for recording and tracking client contacts on behalf of a host organization is provided, comprising steps of (a) storing the full content of communications to and from clients as entities in a multimedia database; (b) relating entities in the database by issue; and (c) displaying an object-oriented interface on a video display of the PC workstation, the interface characterized in that database entities may be recalled and displayed as objects in issue-related chronological strings. Full content of an entity displayed as an object may be reviewed through selecting the entity object in the display. Entities may include one or more of scanned documents displayable as text, e-mailed documents displayable as text, facsimile documents displayable as text, and recorded conversations reviewable as replayed audio from a digitally-stored entity, and essentially any other sort of storable contact communication.
In a further embodiment a step (d) is provided for initiating a response to a communication by a client by selecting an object in a response window in the interface, selectable objects including at least e-mail, voice message, facsimile, and a letter document. This step may further comprise recording a commitment related to the response selected, the commitment including identity of one or more persons assigned to fulfilling the commitment and a due time assignment for the commitment. Further the step may include notifying persons effected by commitments made one or more times before the commitment due time. Notifications may also be made relative to commitments met and fulfilled, and commitments not met and fulfilled.
In another aspect a system for recording and tracking client contacts on behalf of a host organization is provided, comprising a multimedia database adapted for storing the full content of communications to and from clients as database entities, the entities related in the database by issue; and an object-oriented interface on a video display of a PC workstation coupled to the multimedia database, the interface characterized in that database entities may be recalled and displayed as objects in issue-related chronological strings. Full content of an entity displayed as an object may be reviewed through selecting the entity object in the display. The entities may include one or more of scanned documents displayable as text, e-mailed documents displayable as text, facsimile documents displayable as text, and recorded conversations reviewable as replayed audio from a digitally-stored entity.
In an important aspect of the invention the interface further comprises a response window having selectable objects representing response choices, wherein a user may select an object to initiate a response to a client communication. Such response choices include at least e-mail, voice message, facsimile, and letter documents. There may also be a commitment function associated with the response window, wherein a user may enter a commitment related to the response selected, the commitment including identity of one or more persons assigned to fulfilling the commitment and a due time assignment for the commitment. In this aspect a commitment made associated with a response is recorded in the database, and the database notifies one or more persons associated with the commitment before the commitment due time. The database may also notify one or more persons including the person making the commitment, when the commitment is met and closed, and may notify one or more persons if the commitment is not met and closed.
In yet another aspect a multimedia call center is provided, comprising a plurality of agent stations, individual ones having a multimedia-capable personal computer with a video display unit (PC/VDU), and adapted for data network telephony (DNT); a local area network (LAN) connecting agent stations in the call center and connecting agent stations to one or more communication networks; and a multimedia database connected on the LAN. The database is adapted to store the full content of communications to and from clients as database entities, the entities related in the database by issue, and to display at individual PC/VDUs an object-oriented interface, the interface characterized in that database entities may be recalled and displayed as objects in issue-related chronological strings. Further the database may exhibit all of the features attributed above to the system of the invention.
In various embodiments it will be clear, given the descriptions provided below in enabling detail, that the system of the invention provides an apparatus and a method for recording and tracking commitments made in business transactions in a manner that enhances the probability that such commitments will be kept and fulfilled, and also provides an apparatus and method for dealing with clients in a professional manner having at hand the maximum available information, this being the full-content entities available from the multimedia database.